STELL A BELL A ARABIANS: “BEAUTIFUL STAR”
“Beautiful Star”
by KRISTI HOPP
Although he grew up in a small town in Texas, Dr. Ben Bassichis has fond childhood memories of his family travelling to Israel where he rode Arabian horses bareback across the desert. Years later, after establishing a successful plastic surgery practice in Dallas, Texas, his admiration for the breed only re-emerged when his horse-crazy daughters began taking riding lessons. By the end of 2014, he and his wife Michelle, and their
three children, Sara, Max and Rebecca, found themselves wholly immersed in the Arabian horse lifestyle and Stella Bella Arabians was born. Perry Payson originally introduced the Bassichis family to the Arabian horse industry in the United States. As a top handler of show dogs, one of Perry’s clients was working as a nurse in Dr. Ben’s surgery center. When Dr. Bassichis discussed his Ar abian Horse Times | 37 | Volume 49, No. 3
daughter’s enthusiasm for horses and his own youthful memories of riding Arabians, she suggested he contact Perry. Payson embraced the opportunity to share his passion for Arabians with Dr. Ben and the entire Bassichis family. “I drove to his Dallas office to meet him,” Payson recalls. “Dr. Ben was such a kind gentleman; the office had a great atmosphere and was very professional. I also noticed the
staff just loved him and he was very well respected. Later, I had the opportunity to meet the Bassichis children who were beyond polite and just great kids. The whole family is amazing.” The adventure that would ultimately result in the establishment of Stella Bella Arabians began in the winter of 2013. Perry, Dr. Ben, and of course his daughter Sara, attended an Arabian horse open house at North Arabians in Scottsdale, Arizona. Once the presentation of horses began, Dr.
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Ben and Sara lit up in awe and were completely enraptured by the magic of the Arabian horse. “They were truly intrigued by the whole experience,” says Payson. Dr. Ben and Sara fell in love with one filly in particular, a chestnut yearling named Royal Italia (Enzo x SR Ssequin). Her purchase established the foundation of Stella Bella Arabians, which means beautiful star. Shortly thereafter, the whole family visited Day Dream Arabians in Santa Ynez, California,
Then, we came across a fairytale-type farm in Aubrey, Texas, similar to what you would see back East or in Kentucky.”—Dr. Ben Bassichis
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leading to their complete immersion into the Arabian horse industry. Day Dream Arabians is owned by long-time world-renown breeder Carol Steppe. It was the depth of her love, knowledge and passion for breeding Arabian horses that most interested Ben. He reflects on their first visit to the picturesque California farm. “The horses’ beauty and presence was so captivating, like living art. I was so inspired by the completeness of Carol’s meticulous breeding style.” It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Carol, Day Dream, the whole Bassichis family and Stella Bella Arabians. Soon after, Carol later expressed the need to relocate to Texas due to her
STELL A BELL A ARABIANS: “BEAUTIFUL STAR” family. Dr. Ben casually suggested that she consider bringing some of her horses with her to Texas. Stella Bella Arabians was the result of that friendly conversation, and shortly thereafter Dr. Ben moved forward in an ambitious endeavor to establish a strong breeding program.
a lot of renovation to enhance aesthetics and functionality, including doubling the number of stalls to more than 50. They added a covered arena and Euro Walker, loafing sheds, an office lounge and entertainment areas. They enhanced the character of the barn with wroughtiron accents, stone walls and whitewashed woods. They liked that it was so close to excellent veterinary care and horse facilities. “Ben adds that “everything was done with the main purpose of the horses’ health and well being.”
Carol remembers the search for a ranch in Texas was somewhat restrictive because they had to stay within a reasonable vicinity of Dr. Bassichis’ surgical practice. “Michelle and I started shopping right away for the perfect farm. Then, we came across a fairytale-type farm in Aubrey, Texas, similar to what you would see back East or in Kentucky.
The Stella Bella program began with embryo rights from one of Carol Steppe’s best mares, Ola La DDA (Hi Hello Boy x DDA Dream On). With the right to choose any stallion, Ben chose world champion EKS Alihandro (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Psylhouette). Even though he was new to Arabian breeding, Dr. Ben used his intelligence and instinct to cross the EKS Alihandro with the proven quality lines Carol had developed over decades. The following spring, an extraordinary colt was born. Maximus SBA was named in honor of Dr. Ben’s young son, Max Bassichis.
The well-sited white barn had a hunter-green roof with darling cupolas, and exuded character. The rolling hills, pastures laced in lush green grass, plenty of woods, and several ponds were nothing short of enchanting. With 420 acres, there was lots of room for growth. Dr. Ben and Michelle bought the farm, and though it some nice existing structures, did
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Goddess Of Da Vinci
STELL A BELL A ARABIANS: “BEAUTIFUL STAR”
The second mare chosen from Carol’s herd was an embryo right for Epiphany DDA (Eden C x Angelina Showlee). Dr. Ben selected another world champion sire, Hariry Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab x White Silkk), with the result being an exquisite filly named Eleeah SBA. Both Maximus SBA and Eleeah SBA would bring early show ring success for the young farm. Another key factor Dr. Ben understood regarding establishing his own farm and breeding operation was the necessity to create a top team of professionals to run the day-to-day operations. The first member of that team came in hiring the phenomenal Ms. Katie Showers, who had worked for Rohara Arabians in Florida for years. Katie remembers making the tough decision to move was not easy, but she has never looked back.
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is just so pretty and peaceful. The quality of the horses is outstanding—they are beautiful and athletic. The quality of care is unsurpassed, and I am so proud to be on the team.” As his farm was established and breeding program initiated, Dr. Ben began searching for top quality broodmares of his own to round out the breeding operation. One of the most stellar acquisitions was the superstar show mare, Goddess Of Da Vinci (Da Vinci FM x Goddess of Marwan). The bloodlines of this particular mare are outstanding, in that Goddess of Marwan is a daughter of the legendry mare, Amety B, by the world renowned Marwan Al Shaqab. Dr. Ben remembers his first encounter with Goddess of Da Vinci well, recounting, “She came out of the barn and immediately took
She came out of the barn and immediately took our breath away. Michelle and I still get goosebumps even thinking about seeing her for the first time!” —Dr. Ben Bassichis
“I love how family-oriented Ben and Michelle are. Everything they do is for their family and they really made me feel like family too. They welcomed me with such open arms; it instantly felt like home at Stella Bella.” She enjoys every moment of her job at the farm, noting that, “when you drive onto the farm, it
our breath away. Michelle and I still get goosebumps even thinking about seeing her for the first time! She is a magnificent mare and an exemplary example of her breed. She has won at the highest levels and produced champion foals. It is rare to find a mare that can do both. Best of all, it is amazing to see our children enjoy her. She is equivalently stellar in the show ring as she is sweet in her stall.” The impressive Stella Bella lineup also now includes SF Marwhambra (ZT Marwteyn x Impres Alhambra) and the gorgeous black stallion Artemas GA ( JJ Bellagio x Duchess Of Marwan), who has already created a name for Stella Bella internationally. He has won several prestigious titles across Europe including Best Head in Menton and World Top Ten in Paris in 2015.
Trainer/Manager Katie Showers, riding Naser Al Shaqab.
Artemas GA, 2015 Breeders World Cup Silver Supreme Champion Yearling Colt. Ar abian Horse Times | 41 | Volume 49, No. 3
Along with the development of a breeding program, Dr. Ben and Sara have had a growing interest in showing their own horses. The Bassichis family acquired a striking black Half-Arabian mare Ebony By Valentino (DA Valentino x CF Mamies Night Out ASHA) from Rudolfo Guzzo Training Center. Guzzo had shown the mare to a number of national titles and felt strongly that she would be a good match for both Sara and Dr. Ben to show. Michelle recalls the first times Dr. Ben or Sara were heading into
the show ring. “I was scared out of my mind,” she says, “that they or the horse would get injured!” Thankfully, that did not happen, and in 2016 Ebony by Valentino was named Youth National Champion led by 12-yearold Sara Bassichis and U.S. National Champion with Dr. Ben, among other national titles. To continue to move Stella Bella Arabians forward, Dr. Ben and Carol Steppe discussed the importance of adding a full-time halter trainer to the Stella Bella team. Carol
Sara with Ebony by Valentino, 2016 U.S. National H/A Mare Halter AAOTH Champions.
Ebony by Valentino with Rodolfo Guzzo and the Bassichis children, 2015 Scottsdale.
STELL A BELL A ARABIANS: “BEAUTIFUL STAR”
suggested Steve Heathcott might be a good fit, but Steve remembers, “I had never been tied to one particular farm long-term outside my time with Sheila Varian. I was a little skeptical at first because I really did not know Dr. Ben. We started talking and decided to do a two-week working interview.” As it happened, Steve decided he wanted the job the moment he arrived at the farm for the twoweek trial. “Driving through the wrought iron gates, I was stunned at the beauty of the farm. And it only got better! I saw 19 foals, of which at least seven or eight were strong Scottsdale contenders. I was blown away by the horses first, but then completely fell for the Bassichis family.”
Steve Heathcott with Max.
As their Arabian horse family continued to grow, Dr. Ben established a partnership and friendship with veterinarian doctor, Dr. Billa Sandhu. The two bred Dr. Sandhu’s beautiful mare Love Chimes LD (KM Bugatti x Major Primadonna) to Marwan Al Shaqab. The result was an incredible colt they named Hakkeem, which means doctor in Arabic. Though only a yearling, Steve Heathcott recognizes Hakkeem’s potential. “I think he can be a future head sire for Stella Bella and Sandhu Arabians. There is something about him that looks like a breeding stallion. He is just big, tall and sexy.”
Hakkeem
Proving that Stella Bella Arabians’ early successes with Maximus SBA and Eleeah SBA were only the beginning of an exceptional breeding operation, Ben is exceptionally proud of his Aphrodite SBA (Ever After NA x Goddess Of Da Vinci). In 2017 she was unanimous Scottsdale Champion Yearling Filly and went on to be named Reserve Junior Champion Mare.
© OSTEEN/SCHATZBERG
The Bassichis family has fully embraced the Arabian horse industry. Dr. Ben is quick to note that he and his family are “surrounded by great friends nationally and internationally, as well as amazing horses which are the foundation of our family breeding program and farm.” He notes that he derives incredible satisfaction from contributing to all areas of farm work, from breeding decisions and showing horses, to feeding cows and plowing fields. He is especially passionate about his John Deere tractor. When asked what is in the future for Stella Bella Arabians, Dr. Ben summed it up perfectly. “We want to continue to produce horses that we love. We want to see the Stella Bella name in the show arena, but even more importantly, that people who have purchased our horses love them the way we do. Arabians are a unique breed, in that the more you emotionally invest into
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Eleeah SBA
Michelle Bassichis
them, the more they give back to you. When we pull up to the barn, the horses all stick their heads out of the barn windows and start talking to us. When we walk through the pastures and fields, the horses come right up to us to enjoy that amazing human-Arabian interaction. The dynamic we love about the horses has been ingrained in them for
thousands of years. This is an unbelievable gift that we are so lucky to experience and share with our family. Our main role now and in the future is to make sure each horse reaches their full potential, whether that be as a show horse, riding horse, breeding horse or simply, a wonderful companion. We love them all, they are our beautiful stars.�
Max, Sara, and Rebecca with Goddess Of Da Vinci.
Dr. Ben & Ebony by Valentino.